Georgia police chief’s wife can be heard crying on 911 call after he shot her

A Georgia police chief’s wife can be heard crying in the background as he calls 911 to report that he shot her in their bedroom, NBC News reported.

“You having trouble breathing dear?” Peachtree Police Chief William McCollom asks the victim, identified as 58-year-old Margaret McCollom. Later he says to her, “You all right, dear? I know you’re not all right. Still breathing? Stay alert for me.”

McCollom called emergency dispatchers early Thursday morning saying he shot his wife twice with his service weapon. However, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations later said that Margaret McCollom had only been shot once. She is currently listed in critical condition at an Atlanta hospital.

Early on in the call, McCollom describes the shooting as an accident, saying his wife had been shot in the back.

“The gun was in the bed, I went to move it, put it to a side, then it went off,” he said. He identifies himself as the chief of police almost two minutes into the call.

“You’re the chief of police in Peachtree City?” the dispatcher asks.

“Yeah, unfortunately,” McCollum replies.

Shortly afterwards, the dispatcher instructs him to put a cloth on his wife’s wound and apply pressure. McCollum tells her that he was asleep at the time of the shooting. He also asks, “How the hell did this happen?”

McCollum, who has led his department for about a year, is currently on administrative leave.

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Arturo R. García is the managing editor at Racialicious.com. He is based in San Diego, California and has written for both print and broadcast media, including contributions to GlobalComment.com, The Root and Comment Is Free. Follow him on Twitter at @ABoyNamedArt